International Freedom Festival
(http://www.theparade.org/...) begins the last week of june.
North America International Auto Show
(http://www.naias.com/) cobo hall, detroit. naias is held in january.
Concerts, and more
Detroit is the birthplace of american electro/techno music, with juan atkins, kevin saunderson, and derrick may all hailing from the area. although other cities around the world have picked up detroit's torch and carried it further in some ways, detroit is still a great place to dance and see the masters at work.
Motown Winter Blast
(http://www.motownwinterbl...) held in january or february in campus martius park, includes ice skating, concerts, and a street party in greektown.
Some of the major companies which have headquarters or a significant presence in metro Detroit include GM, Ford, Chrysler, Volkswagen of America, Comerica, Rock Financial/Quicken Loans, Kelly Services, Borders Group, Dominos, American Axle, DTE Energy, Compuware, Covansys, TRW, BorgWarner, ArvinMeritor, United Auto Group, Pulte Homes, Taubman Centers, Guardian Glass, Lear Seating, Masco, General Dynamics Land Systems, Delphi, AT&T, EDS, Microsoft, IBM, Google, Verizon, National City Bank, Delta Air Lines, Bank of America, and Raymond James, PwC, Ernst & Young, the FBI, and more. This being said, Detroit has been greatly affected by the nation's economic downturn and has an official unemployment rate more than double that of the nation's, which in reality may be significantly higher.
Theater
See a performance, detroit's theaters include the fox theater, fisher theater, masonic theater, gem theater & century club, detroit opera house, and orchestral hall.
Detroit's Vibrant, Underground Arts Scene
Detroit is home to over 80 galleries, with artists hailing from around the world. artists are attracted to detroit due to its abundance of raw, under-utilized industrial space and its inspiring environment of pre-depression era buildings.
Cruise Ships, the Great Lakes Cruising Coalition
(http://www.greatlakescrui...) the dock of detroit (http://www.portdetroit.com/) receives major cruise lines on the great lakes. adjacent to the renaissance center on hart plaza. local tours include diamond jack's river tours (http://www.diamondjack.com/). chartered tours are also available.
This is only a small list of some of the some key activities and events to enjoy and even though they are listed here, their info is brief. Make sure to check out the district articles for more.
Spirit of Detroit Thunderfest
(http://www.gold-cup.com/) hydoplane races on the detroit river. mid-july.
Detroit's Night Life
Includes a multitude of clubs throughout the metropolitan area.
Casinos
The three major casinos include, mgm grand detroit, motor city and greektown. check for performances.
Located in Ann Arbor, about 45 miles west of Detroit, the University of Michigan ranks as one of America's best. Alumni include President Gerald Ford and Google co-founder Larry Page. Others include Wayne State University alumni include legendary White House Correspondent Helen Thomas and comedian/actress Lily Tomlin, University of Detroit-Mercy, Lawrence Technological University, Oakland University, Oakland Community College which is one of the largest Community Colleges in Michigan, Eastern Michigan University, Marygrove College, and College for Creative Studies.
The Detroit area has many civic and professional organizations. The world headquarters for the Society for Automotive Engineers SAE is in Troy, MI and the Center for Automotive Research CAR is headquartered in Ann Arbor, MI. Others include the Detroit Economic Club, the Detroit Athletic Club, the Greening of Detroit to promote urban forestry tree planting, the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, Detroit Renaissance, and Detroit Economic Growth Association DEGA, and more.
The International Academy, an all International Baccalaureate school a public, tuition-free consortium high school operated by Bloomfield Hills Schools which consistently ranks among the top 10 public high schools in the nation by Newsweek magazine, Cranbrook Schools an exclusive private boarding school and academy, the Eton Academy, and Henry Ford Academy are some of outstanding secondary schools that are located in the area.
Detroit's Music Scene
The detroit sound is the sound of the world. it is shaped by detroit's unique past, its cultural diversity, its energy and its future. detroit's public information campaign, "the world is coming, get in the game" features an online tour of this music scene. keep in mind that unlike some cities, there is no central entertainment district greektown only partially counts and many up and coming groups play at venues scattered throughout the area.